What do you do for entertainment?

This is the question my brother Ted asked me this week when I told him we would certainly be here for  another week.  Well, during the week we wait a lot.  As I've mentioned, no one gets in too big a hurry to get things done, but when they do, the Tiffin guys do a great job for sure.  Although that doesn't sound too entertaining, it does force us to find things to do in and around the motor home.

The week-ends are another story.  First on my agenda was to retrace steps to find the house with natural air conditioning we saw a while back.  Kitchen on one side and living quarters on the other side separated by an open air porch.  Simplicity of design before electricity / air conditioning.

Since this is our third week-end in Red Bay, we decided to venture further.  While waiting for a pizza I wish I had never eaten, I was reading a local paper advertising a Dulcimer festival on Saturday.  We took off around noon for Tishomingo State Park west of Red Bay into Mississippi.  I don't know much about Dulcimers, but that's the whole point of an adventure.  The day was absolutely clear with just a bit of a chill.  We discovered yet another gorgeous state park.  Nestled deep in the park was the park lodge. Outside, a flatbed trailer had been covered with a cloth skirt for a make-shift stage.  Groups came form nearby states to perform. Some beginners, some quite skilled.  Usually the lead person, such as Peggy Pearl (allegedly a distant cousin to Minnie Pearl?) would be named, and the others were named as "friends."  

There are different types of Dulcimers.  Pictured on our picture page are mostly mountain Dulcimers.  I've included one that is a hybrid of dulcimer and banjo.  The groups also included guitars, mandarins, or the combo dulcimer/banjo.  One guitar I have never seen before is the Martin back-pack.  I think it's just small enough to fit in the Whale.

The Dulcimer, a three stringed instrument, has a rather high, tinny sound.  Folks lay it across their laps to play.  We agreed the groups with Dulcimers, guitars, and other stringed instruments had a much richer sound.  Some groups had vocalists.  The lyrics told stories or were gospel.  Some just made us laugh.  Some groups even had "team" t-shirts.

Reluctantly, we had to leave after a couple of hours of foot tapping music in a beautiful setting.